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EDITOR’S VIEW By Tim Linden Women at the Forefront It is no secret that the produce industry, like many others, has been a male- dominated business sector for genera- tions. That has slowly been changing over my career, and it seems as if California has lead the way. I have attended and seen photos of many produce events all over the country and all seem to be less popu- lated by women than the Fresh Produce & Floral Council events and leadership. In fact, I believe the FPFC has been the leader in this movement. The council’s top staff person has been a woman for most of its almost six decades of existence. And I can’t think of a produce organization that has had more women as chair of the board. This issue of the Fresh Digest unintentionally punctuates the FPFC’s progressive gender inclusionary reality with several photo pages of past events and two telling stories. Look at the photos from “The Heist” event held in February and you can witness the past and current leaders of the council and it is impossible to ignore the equal role women have played in the association for many, many years. Two stories within the magazine also illustrate this concept. Our cover story chronicles the career of Jan DeLyser, who spent 13 years at the FPFC, including 11 as its top staff person. She was also chair of the board. Jan spent another 25 years at the California Avoca- do Commission, leading its all-important promotional efforts for most of that time. And she served the industry well in many volunteer roles as a leader, who happened to be a woman. I first met Jan when we were both in our first year with The Packer news- paper. I started about a half a year before she did, and I was transferred to California two years before she made the transition. About half way through her tenure with the council I started my own publishing company with Jan and the FPC Digest being the client on which I launched my effort. It is with great pride that I have been able to watch the entirety of Jan’s career from a relatively close perch. She had a great run and appears to have received similar value from her association with the industry as our collective industry received from her, which was immense. From my perspective, the most important thing one can do in their work and life is make a positive impact...and she surely did. You might note in the story that she points to numerous women mentors who helped her during that illustrious career. Most of these women began their industry leadership roles as members and participants of the FPFC. Another story in this edition that clearly screams out positive impact and Southern California produce industry women leader- ship is the sale of Frieda’s Inc. to Legacy Farms. I’m sure it was a well thought out decision with many variables. I do understand that the brand will continue on and I’m sure the company is in very good hands. But it can’t be lost that Frieda’s Inc. was a woman- owned company by the legend herself before that was a thing. It has remained in the hands of women for 60 years, with Frieda and then her two daughters – Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins – at the helm. There might be a company in our industry with deeper female roots, but I am not aware of it. In fact, there are relatively few compa- nies in our entire industry still intact today that were operating in 1962 when Frieda’s started her business on the Seventh Street Market. Coincidentally my father worked in the produce house right next door at the time. The company he worked for didn’t even survive the ‘60s. I’m not sure there is a company on that market in 1962 that is still around today. Frieda’s is an amazing story that has been told many times so I won’t repeat it here, but it is a good time for silent reflection about the impact Frieda, her daughters and their company have had on our industry. All around us the world is changing at breakneck speed, so it is no wonder that industry icons are also changing and moving on. It’s a good thing that change is occurring and the rest of the industry has followed the lead of Southern California and the FPFC in elevating women to the level they deserve. New women icons and iconic companies led by women are in the development stage and their impact can only be judged after sufficient time and from a rearview mirror perspective. In the meantime, take one moment and reflect. The Southern California produce industry was lucky to have some pretty special women in its ranks over the last five or six decades. 4